Arlington Residents In Shock After School Van Hits 7-Year-Old Girl
ARLINGTON (KDKA) - A 7-year-old girl remains in critical condition after being hit by a school van as she walked home Thursday.
Emotions are still raw in Arlington today, close to where the girl from the Pittsburgh Arlington Pre-K-8 school was hit by a van.
KDKA's Christine D'Antonio Reports:
"I was worried about the mom and that little girl. I was praying for her," Kim Vetere said.
Despite suffering some critical injuries, the girl is expected to survive.
The child's mother, who was walking toward her daughter when the accident happened, told others that the van driver wasn't paying attention.
"The mother said that she [saw] the driver texting on the phone and she went off the road and hit her daughter. She yelled at the woman, 'What did you do?' and all this stuff like that," Louis Rodriguez said.
The little girl went airborne before hitting the pavement. She was rushed to Children's Hospital with a broken femur, pelvis and severe head trauma.
"My thoughts and prayers go out for the family and the young lady, hope she gets a quick recovery," said Kingsley Campbell, one of the drivers at Bri Mar Transit.
Campbell talked to KDKA's Brenda Waters Friday outside the company's Wilkinsburg office about the accident.
At last check, Pittsburgh Police were in the process of getting a warrant to search the driver's phone. Thursday, the driver was questioned at the scene but wasn't charged.
Meantime, some who live near the scene of the accident like Mark Amrhein say there is another problem.
KDKA's Brenda Waters Reports:
"They speed on this street, they speed on the avenue. Yes, we have a problem," said Amrhein.
Amrhein says he watches vehicles speed by all day, including school buses and vans.
Other drivers say the driver who hit the girl has worked for the company for at least three years and is experienced.
But with questions about possible texting and now speed coming into play, determining what exactly happened could take some time. One police official says the accident investigation team has 10 days to complete their report.
Ebony Pugh with Pittsburgh Public Schools says counselors will be made available today for students and staff.
She says the bus driver involved in this incident won't be driving any buses until it's resolved.
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